.............
5/3/25 - SEA 4 - 1 STL
I watched this game twice. Part of my process when watching is making notes of moments I find significant. A good pass, a bad giveaway, a player calling for the ball but not receiving it, etc. Occasionally, I feel like I make notes constantly. Other times, they come in short bursts.
On Saturday? I made a grand total of one (1).
“Am I losing faith in the manager, the players, or the people who put them together?”
Let’s wallow in our misery, together. #MLSMondays #SEAvSTL
Team Selection:
It feels like a lose-lose scenario right now. Since there is no central midfield, playing the dribble boys in Pompeu/Silva makes little sense because they will never get the ball. Moreover, with no dribble boys, there is very little offensive thrust. Therefore, you can either play them, which makes the midfield even more problematic than it already is, or not play them, which makes the attack more problematic than it already is.
Not going to talk about the Triangle of Death. We know, have known, and will know what that means.
Currently playing with an entire half of the pitch being backups (and Baumgartl is a maybe because there’s always the threat of Nilsson not being injured).
And that results in a pass map looking like this (h/t MLS STAT):
Is this team really this bad because of the manager? Is this team really this bad due to the ridiculous number of injuries (not to mention the personal issues causing absences)? Is this team underperforming because the roster isn’t strong enough or because there are too many gaps? I don't know. May will enlighten all of us.
Final Thoughts
But honestly, I dislike writing completely negative pieces, and I can’t imagine you enjoy reading them either. The thesis behind this account was specifically designed to avoid overly emotional takes, since there’s enough of that already. We could discuss the players, the inability to complete 5-yard passes, the poor defending, etc.
I don’t want to, and like I said, I don’t have notes.
So, the Discord provided them. Notes from fellow fans:
“0/10. No notes”
“Just an absolute stinker #MLSMondays”
“That was absolute (poop emoji). Let’s see how the next three home games go and reevaluate.”
“What went right? The team plane safely landed at SEATAC, and given the nation’s ATC shortage is no small feat.”
“Every day we are one day closer to the full return of Edu, Bürki, Totland, Kessler, and the next transfer window.”
“We didn’t have a catastrophic injury add to the list of unavailable players for next week.”
“CITY finally scored in Seattle?”
And lastly, one that I believe sums up how most *rational* fans feel (because there are truly some irrational ones out there):
“I've decided for the time being I'm just going to be angry about the results without needing to diagnose what needs to change. We have a new coach in a new country/league missing a half dozen starting capable players every week. This all sucks for now but I'll lean on *for now* until I know better. We have certainly had bad player performance and bad coaching during this stretch. I think it is what it is without requiring a sweeping indictment on Lutz, Olof, or the big picture.”
I will add one more note, bringing my grand total to two (2).
By the end of this month, there will be no more questions. #AllForCITY will know if this abhorrent run of form stems from the man in charge, the players he has been unable to select, or the people who brought them together.
Thanks for being here. #AllForCITY, forever and always.